There is a decided lack of honesty in society. Whether it be professional or personal, the statements we make or the questions we answer, the lack of courage to say what's on our minds is astounding.
And yes, have heard it all.
Don't hurt feelings. Couch your terms in acceptable parlance. Be careful what you say.
Yes, make sure you're as passive-aggressive and genuinely unhelpful as possible. The opposite is EXACTLY what is needed.
Enter Endeavour Morse, the titular character of the popular BBC police drama, which has run for nine seasons the past 12 years. Morse has the unfortunate/fortunate combination of social awkwardness coupled with investigative brilliance. Attempts to marginalize, mitigate, and demonize the outspoken detective fall short of the police need for his transcendent skills.
He is also right, despite the uncomfortable atmosphere his outspoken personality creates, 99.9% of the time.
And I can, as the cliche goes, relate.
Friends and co-workers, and now classmates, have been treated to my forthrightness for decades. Can't relate to people any other way. The result is a grudging respect for my capability and thinly-veiled contempt for a confrontational aspect that ain't going away until I assume room temperature.
Something wished for by work colleagues for quite some time.
The course of human history showcases various individuals of such bent. Gus Grissom, notorious for saying what had to be said at NASA, didn't win many popularity contests. Mark Twain, despite his enormous talent, was loathed even by members of his immediate family . . . maybe most of all. Malcolm Little (Malcolm X) a moderate (Yikes! Can't have that!) black activist found himself on the receiving end of an assassin's bullet due to his unwillingness to throttle back a conciliatory message to America combined with a reprimand for the extremists in the civil rights movement. Oh, if only his insecure followers had listened.
Not comparing myself to these great men.
However, America could use a little more truth and a lot less prescriptive conversations. Our politicians are the worst.
To whit,
"I'll work tirelessly for the American people."
"My party will bring unity and decency back to the United States."
"The change you crave can be had by electing me to [FILL IN THE BLANK]"
Homily after homily after homily. There's no substance to these statements. What most of these dopes should be saying is "Stop looking to the government for anything. We suck."
But that won't get anyone elected, which is too bad because the government does suck at everything and only makes situations worse when they "help."
Endeavour Morse is annoying. He is, while not arrogant, a person who does engage in "Told ya so" on occasion.
As do I. As did Mark Twain. Fellow witticism factory Oscar Wilde was no stranger to reminding those who doubted him when his opinion was validated.
Winston Churchill would not, no, DID NOT, bend from 1939 through 1945. He turned back fascism, and the stooges in England chucked him out of office because he also would not give into the socialist gunk on the 1946 ballot. All of which continues to screw up the British economy to this day.
If Malcolm X had lived, he might have been able to hit the extremists with a "Told ya so," but, sadly, they had to shut him up in order to keep making money for race merchants like Jesse Jackson and Reverend Al.
Stop hiding behind what you think people expect you to say and what they need to hear. Those are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
And we need more of the latter.
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